Large-and-midcap funds play a unique role in a portfolio. They straddle the middle ground between midcap funds and multicap funds. In this category, Invesco India Growth Opportunities is a good option. Formerly a largecap fund, it moved to the large-and-mid category last year in the recategorization process. With an average 3-year return of 14.8%, the […]

On a 1-year basis, hybrid aggressive funds are in the low single digits at just 1.2% on an average. Not just that, the category was clocking 1-year losses in preceding months. That’s not new – hybrid aggressive funds can well deliver losses on a 1-year timeframe. What’s surprising this time around is that this average […]

From the peak in January 2018, midcap stocks have been on a downward slide. The Nifty Midcap 100 TRI lost 17.7% from then till date. 4 in every 10 midcap stocks have corrected even more than this figure. Smallcap stocks too have corrected and by much more. Volatility has also marked the midcap and smallcap […]

India Inc. saw a drop in profits for the December quarter. This was largely a result of exceptional losses in few large companies. For 496 out of the 500 BSE 500 companies sales expanded a healthy 19% for the December quarter while profits declined by 20% over a year ago. This significant dip was primarily […]

Investors with a penchant for risk and those who do not have exposure to thematic funds can consider limited exposure (5-10% of total equity) to UTI Transportation and Logistics Fund (UTI Transportation). At its beaten down state now, the fund’s NAV is 23% lower than a year ago. That essentially means that the stocks in […]

Among multicap funds today, UTI Equity holds a 1-year return of 3.8% at a time when most peers and the Nifty 500 TRI are sporting losses. This is a far cry from last February, when UTI Equity ranked in the bottom quartile on a 1-year basis, languishing below the Nifty 500 TRI. Profit booking and […]

Haven’t invested enough to save taxes yet? Consider Aditya Birla Sun Life Tax Relief ’96, an ELSS fund that qualifies for deductions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. This fund averaged an annual 20% 3-year return over the past five years, above the Nifty 500 TRI’s 14.5%. Debt-based instruments such as the PPF, […]

The debt fund landscape is undergoing a change. And change seldom happens without disruptions. The structure, regulation and liquidity aspects of debt instruments have been put to test in the past six months. For you, understanding these risks is paramount to take investment decisions. This article will discuss the nature of risks that have emerged, […]

Whenever you are looking for funds to invest and look at the performance screen of a fund, the 1-year returns is the number that registers and also influences decision. There are two problems with this: One, the returns are taken at a specific point in time. Two, one year is too short a time period […]

At FundsIndia we constantly strive to cater to your investing needs without compromising on the basic tenets of mutual fund investing. As part of such an effort, we have recently added SmartSIP, the first of its kind dynamically managed portfolio SIP. Here’s a quick summary of what SmartSIP is and what it does: An asset-allocated […]

These are hard times for equity and cautious times for debt funds. But what we can tell you is that funds in the Select Funds list have weathered volatile times in the past and have pulled through with market-beating performances. Our additions to the Select Funds list this quarter are minimal. We have been stricter […]

It’s that time of the year when you will look back at performance and have questions about your portfolio – specifically underperformance in your funds. In years like 2018 when there has been broad-based underperformance, it may be hard for you to accept the reality of your funds’ returns. These are some of frequently asked […]

2018 was a year that probably gave you glimpses of the rough side of equity and debt markets. The bad news is that you have probably not seen the end of this rough ride. But if all factors sit well, 2019 might well end as a high-adrenaline joyride, especially for equities. Last month, we wrote […]

Markets closed out 2018 in a burst of volatility, capping a year of several yo-yos. Equity and debt markets had a tumultuous 2018, which served to drive home certain basics. Here they are. Midcaps and smallcaps are risky 2018 showcased a fact that had been brushed under the carpet for years – that midcap and […]

At this time last year, stock markets were on a tear. Everything seemed happy, and the new year seemed to carry that right on. But that euphoria was short-lived as stocks nosedived steadily from there and show no signs of letting up. Don’t let the Nifty and Sensex numbers fool you! Especially if you were […]

2018 was a tough year. For equity markets, for debt markets and for currency. It was a tougher year for mutual funds what with the swings to their portfolio as a result of SEBI’s new categorisation. Almost through the year, equity markets – as pointed out by us earlier – saw key indices being influenced […]

‘So much has happened but nothing has changed’. This will describe the performance of the equity and debt market in 2018. 2018 was a year of much activity in companies and the economy but markets stayed at the same place. The charts below – of the Nifty 50 and the 10-year government paper will tell […]

The past year has seen the market take unexpected turns. Global events have kept it on its toes while domestic factors struggled to find stability. Different sectors have shown divergent performance. Some came as a surprise, like the revival of IT stocks which found solace in the weakening rupee and pharmaceutical stocks for a brief […]

If there is one thing that is hogging news headlines these days, it is elections. With several state elections coming up and the general elections next year, there is enough news to be had. And markets typically react to anything that is election-related. For instance, in early 2017, markets pulled out of their end-2016 slump […]

SEBI defines the top 100 stocks as the large-cap universe for mutual funds to invest in. You know about the top 50 – nested in the bellwether index Nifty 50. These are the largest of large companies in the market. What if you could own the next 50 – the emerging super-large companies but with […]

Many of you fear market volatility or market reactions to the elections. This is not surprising. Political stability would be a clear positive for the markets, while a government change would be met with wariness until there’s more clarity on policies. But remember also that markets react to events ahead of time. The best time […]

With only a few months left to the end of this fiscal, you will be looking for avenues to save on taxes. Axis Long Term Equity, an equity-linked savings scheme, is a good choice here. ELSS or tax-saving mutual funds are a great way to save on taxes, given their superior return potential and better […]

If there is an equity market that is less correlated to the Indian market and provides a diverse set of companies to invest in, it is the US market. Hence, for portfolio diversification, we have traditionally preferred US to any other global market. If you decide to use the US route to diversify your portfolio, […]

HDFC Small Cap is a recent addition to our Select Funds list. With a 1-year loss of 0.5%, the fund is among the few small-caps whose 1-year returns aren’t deep into the negative zone. The Nifty Smallcap 100 index has lost 28% in the past year. From the January 2018 high, the index is down […]

There are concerns all round – climbing crude oil prices, depreciating domestic currency, escalating trade wars that are already beginning to bite, warnings over slower global economies and US corporate earnings. Markets are up one day, down the next. The good news is that there is a lot of money to be made after a […]